Mihail cast him an appalled look and shook his head vigorously. His lips pressed together, he emphatically held up one finger.
"The first option?" Giato guessed, unsurprised. Mihail nodded, then turned his attention back to the papers.
Hanne was smiling when Giato glanced up, and Renato looked relieved, so it was probably for the best. Besides which, it would probably take a while to either break the curse or exhaust all of the spellstone options, so Giato would get to spend that much more time with Mihail. Except...if Mihail was choosing the second option, that meant Giato wasn't needed. Mihail would have everything he needed here, without Giato's help. He'd have food, a place to sleep, Hanne and Renato would break the curse, and he could go home...
Relief coursed through Giato. He'd have to stay. How else would Mihail be able to get home in time after he was able to transform back into a merman?
Mihail passed the papers to Giato, and Giato ran through them again. As Hanne had said, there was a stipulation that the fee didn't apply in cases where no other solution could be found. Hanne and Renato would both be casting and trying to find a way to break the spell on Mihail, not just Renato as Giato had assumed. That would make sense though. It would be far better to find solutions that any magic user could cast than limiting it to a fairy or a human or a dragon.
There was a place for Mihail to sign his agreement at the bottom of the last page, and he took the pen Hanne held out and scribbled his name in blocky letters.
Giato hesitated, and then asked, "What are these spellstones?"
"They're a new bit of magical technology," Hanne said. She perked up, reaching over to the table closest to her. She moved some papers out of the way, coming up with a smooth stone that had a small pattern carved on the front. "The university has been experimenting with putting spell components in a condensed form that can be reused. That's what this is."
Giato took the stone when she handed it over. It was cool to the touch and appeared to be nothing more than a decorative stone, like those Giato saw sold as trinkets in the marketplace on occasion.
"That one has several elements combined, mostly those used in healing spells. We put several herbs, including corina powder, resnia leaves, and itaria stems, into the stone. It's one of our longest lasting combinations. Most of those stones last for over a hundred castings," Hanne said, and she sounded so excited about it that some of Giato's tension slipped away.
"A hundred castings, really?" Giato asked. "How hard is it to make these? How much of each spell component goes into them?"
"Not much," Hanne said. "They're really revolutionary! Resnia leaves are so hard to find but imagine if we could make them last fifty times longer than they do currently! There's so much less waste, and—"
Renato coughed slightly, a smile turning the corners of his lips.
"And that's a discussion we can pick up later. I'm sorry. I've been working on them for nearly ten years—I tend to get carried away," Hanne said, subsiding in her seat. Giato grinned, passing the stone back to her. Mihail shifted slightly in the seat next to him, fidgeting with the papers he'd signed.
"I don't mind," Giato said. He paused, a thought occurring to him. "Is that why you have dragon scales?"
"What?" Hanne asked.
"Sort of," Renato said. He glanced out toward the work room. "It's ethically sourced, if that's what you're worried about. A friend of mine donated a few of his scales—ones that were close to shedding—in case they could help break spells. Hanne will be converting them to a spellstone as soon as she can so we don't have to ask for more."
Giato nodded, relaxing more. He was still worried, mostly for Mihail and the toll it would take for him to endure having Renato and Hanne experiment until they could break the curse, but at least Renato and Hanne seemed to be on the level.
"Are you all right with trying some spell breaks today?" Hanne asked. She stood, and the rest of them followed suit, Mihail handing over the papers he'd signed.
Mihail nodded, though he didn't look very enthused about the prospect.
"I promise it's painless," Renato said. He grimaced, flexing his fingers. "It's not painless if I have to break it the other way, especially as severe as the curse is."
"How painful?" Giato asked.
"It severely weakens you," Renato said. He was addressing Mihail, as though Mihail had been the one to ask. "Um. It's like you used all your magic at once, and then went past that. That's how most people describe it."
Mihail nodded, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. He glanced at Giato, but his expression was only the same tense look that he'd had all morning. He followed Hanne out of the room, and Giato wished he could do or say something to make Mihail feel better. Maybe it would be best to simply break the curse, despite Mihail's attempts to work with the university? Somehow, he doubted he could get Mihail to agree to that.
Out in the work room, Hanne was setting out several stones on a clear portion of a table in the corner. They were each marked with a symbol, though none of them made sense to Giato. She was consulting a notebook as she worked. Mirko was writing something at the desk across the room, a scowl of concentration on his face as he wrote with quick, jerking motions. He didn't even glance their way as they left the back room.
"Mihail, if you'll have a seat," Hanne said. She smiled at him, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. Mihail took the seat she indicated, a stool right next to the table. "We'll only do a few today, mostly to rule out the easy options. What can you tell us about the spell that was cast on you?"
Giato stepped in, explaining what he knew: that the spell kept Mihail from talking, using his magic, or shifting, and about how long previously the spell had been cast and that it had been two mages working together.
Hanne nodded, jotting quick notes in her notebook. Renato simply listened, his mouth pressed together in a thin line. There was something familiar in his look, as though he was familiar with being cursed. Maybe it was simply that he'd seen a lot of this in his line of work.
"Do you know if they used any spell components when casting?" Hanne asked when Giato finished.
Mihail shook his head. He pressed his hands together and tilted his head against them as though he was sleeping.
"You were asleep? Unconscious?" Hanne asked, writing that down when Mihail nodded. She made a few more notes, then flipped open another notebook. The pages were laid out in a grid, and she marked a few notes at the top. "All right, let's get started. For each stone, both Renato and I will attempt to break the curse. If the stone is completely unrelated to the spell markers of your curse, you'll feel nothing. If you feel anything, though, let us know, and that may help us narrow down what will work. Ready?"
Mihail nodded, shifting on his stool. Giato wanted to reach over and rest a hand on his shoulder, offer some, any, support, but he didn't want to interfere with the spell casting.
Hanne picked up the first spellstone and handed it to Mihail. He cupped it in his hands, studying the marking on the stone. Hanne said something, and it took Giato a moment to realize she was speaking a spell quietly.
Nothing happened. She marked something on the grid and nodded to Renato.
Renato repeated the spell.
Nothing happened.
Hanne marked that on the grid and swapped out the stone.
They continued through the stones, and each time Giato braced himself for something to happen, and each time nothing did. They went through all the stones laid out on the table in rapid succession with no reaction at all from Mihail, and Giato tamped down his frustration as Hanne marked several notes.
"Don't be discouraged," Renato said, giving Mihail another of his soft, quiet smiles. "It never works the first day."
"But it has worked?" Giato asked. He should've thought to ask that sooner.
"Several times," Renato confirmed. "We usually have to go through several sessions to narrow down the spell components that should be in the spellstone. It's unusual nothing twigged today, but it's not the fir
st time."
Mihail nodded, straightening out of the slouch he'd slumped into. He glanced at the stones and waved his hand in a circular motion.
"More?" Giato guessed. Mihail nodded, but Hanne shook her head.
"Not today." She smiled, but there was a little strain to it. "This is the limit of what we can do." She gestured to the stones. "Come back tomorrow...Mirko?"
"Mid-morning. After the fourth bell," Mirko said, not looking up from where he was engrossed in a book.
"As he said. We'll try more tomorrow." Hanne paused in her note taking to look up at Mihail. "Rest this afternoon. It may not seem like you did anything, but the casting does take a toll on you too."
Mihail nodded, standing. Renato walked them to the door of the work room, sending them off with a quiet, "See you tomorrow."
Giato glanced over the room once more before following Mihail out of the labyrinth of hallways. Mihail took them back to their room, and Giato settled on his bunk, watching as Mihail settled on his own.
"That wasn't how I expected that to go," Giato said. He stretched, feeling restless. He hadn't thought he'd be instrumental to the process, but standing and watching had left him itching to move. Usually he cleaned something or reorganized the shop when those moods took him, but he didn't have any outlets here. The room was already tidy, and he couldn't exactly rearrange the furniture. This wasn't his place.
Mihail shook his head. He shrugged, which Giato took to mean he hadn't had any expectations.
"Did you want to go explore?" Giato asked. "There's probably a library we can visit, or we can explore the city, since we don't need to be back until tomorrow morning."
Mihail tilted his head, considering. Books, he mouthed, a corner of his mouth lifting.
"Good choice," Giato said. He stood, suddenly eager to find the library. The university was one of the biggest in the country. They no doubt had a very impressive library. Mihail led the way, seeming to have perked up at last, and Giato followed him out of the room.
It took some asking, and several twists and turns, but they finally reached the 'semi-public' library, as the clerk who had assisted them had called it. Books were allowed to be viewed by anyone, but only faculty and students could remove books from the library, which made sense. The books were no doubt expensive, and many would be hard to replace. There had to be some limits.
The library was as massive as Giato had expected, with three levels and more books than he'd ever seen in one place before. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the center of the room was given over to tables, couches, and chairs. There were dozens of people on each floor, some with work spread out over tables, others curled up with books in their laps. The top two levels were reached with a spiral staircase. Mihail barely waited for him before heading toward the nearest bookcase.
Giato trailed after him, unable to keep from smiling. He soon got distracted himself, studying the rows of books. They were organized into sections, and eventually he wandered into a section on the history of the city and the university itself. He picked out a book from that section and chose a recently vacated couch to settle into. Mihail joined him after a moment, a book on the fauna of the region in hand. He settled on the other side of the sofa, curling his legs up so that they almost reached Giato's thigh.
Giving Mihail a smile that Mihail returned, Giato cracked open his book and started to read.
Several bells later, Giato realized the room was more empty than not. He closed his book and glanced over at Mihail.
Mihail was asleep, his head draped against the back of the couch and his braid running haphazardly over his shoulder, unravelling at the end. His mouth gaped open like a fish, and the book he'd been reading was open on his lap, only a bare few pages turned. Giato stifled a grin, wondering how long Mihail had been asleep. Hanne had said he'd need to rest too, but Mihail hadn't seemed tired when they'd left their room.
Another bell rang, three sharp peals, and Giato's stomach growled as though in response. He glanced out one of the library windows, not surprised to see that the sun had moved to the far side of the sky. They'd spent several hours in the library.
Time to eat and bundle Mihail off to bed for a proper rest that didn't include a terrible angle for his neck. Standing, Giato stretched, holding the book he'd been reading in one hand. He glanced around and spotted a collection area for books nearby. He slid the book Mihail had been reading out from under his hand and shut it, bringing both books over to the collection area.
By the time he'd returned to the couch, Mihail was stirring, blinking his pretty eyes sleepily. He grimaced as he straightened his neck, and Giato laughed. "Sleep well?"
Mihail made a face, rubbing at his neck. He took the hand Giato held out, covering a yawn with his other hand.
"I was thinking food and then a proper nap," Giato said. Mihail nodded agreeably, following him out of the library.
Mihail took the lead once they were in the hall, leading the way unerringly to the mess hall. Giato tried to follow along, recognizing a few hallways here and there, but for the most part, he was hopelessly confused as to how they'd gotten there. Maybe if they'd gone back to their room and then to the mess hall, he might have had a chance at not being lost. Thankfully Mihail had a better head for directions than he did.
Mihail yawned steadily through their meal and the walk back to their room, and Giato wasn't surprised when he immediately sprawled in his bunk and fell asleep. Giato lay down in his own bunk and tried to fall asleep himself, pushing aside thoughts of what would happen when the spell was broken and he would have to say goodbye.
CHAPTER SIX
The next few days passed much the same: he and Mihail would meet with Hanne and Renato, they would test a large number of spell stones, very little would happen, and they'd be shuffled off for the rest of the day. Mihail would spend the afternoon napping, and Giato would spend it reading and trying to quell his restlessness.
Hanne insisted they were making progress, but Giato wasn't reassured. From what he could see, none of the spell stones had had any effect. The only real effect was that Mihail was exhausted each afternoon. Giato glanced over to the bunk where Mihail was sleeping, soft snores escaping from the depths of his pillow. His pretty hair was spilled across the bed, tangled over his shoulder and almost smothering his face.
It was hard to gauge how the testing was affecting Mihail. He spent so much time sleeping that Giato couldn't tell if his disinterest in everything was a side effect of being so worn out, or if it was something deeper. Giato glanced down at his book, one he'd brought from home, and then shut it. He wasn't concentrating. His mind kept drifting to what, if anything, he could do to help Mihail.
Maybe he could find something to cheer Mihail up? Giato turned the idea over in his head. He doubted that, short of finding a break for the curse, Mihail would be cheered up, but it certainly couldn't hurt to try. He'd have to leave the campus, but Mihail would probably sleep for several hours more, wake for dinner, and then promptly go back to sleep.
Standing, Giato left his book on his bunk and went to the small table. He penned a quick note in case Mihail did wake and then headed out.
He'd gotten better at navigating the university's campus, but it still took him a few wrong turns before he found the entrance. He debated asking one of the campus staff where to go in the city but decided to wander on his own instead. The campus was near the center of town, and as Giato recalled from their trip in, there was a bustling marketplace not too far away. It was busy in mid-afternoon, and Giato took his time strolling through the close-packed streets, taking in the storefronts and the occasional street vendor.
There were several shops he wanted to take a closer look at, to see if they'd have anything that would be good for his own shop back in Caelfall, but nothing caught his eye for Mihail. Still, it felt nice to stretch his legs and be outside, so he kept walking. He scanned the crowds as he went, almost as interested in people watching as he was in the shops. The city boasted a wide populati
on of non-humans. He spotted several dragons, what he thought was a fairy or two, and several other species that stuck out among the crowd.
Giato turned a street corner and paused mid-step. Across the street was a small shop with a display of jewelry—costume or real, he wasn't sure—but a set of black jewels caught his eye. They glimmered in the sunlight: a choker, bracelet, a set of earrings, and the real centerpiece, a stunning set of barrettes.
They'd look right at home in Mihail's hair.
Was that too much of a present, though? Giato wandered toward the shop. He was too attached to Mihail, he knew it, and he didn't want to put any onus on Mihail. Mihail was dependent on him to get home, and Giato didn't want to put any pressure—real or imagined—on Mihail to return that sentiment.
Jewels were more of a lover's present than a friend's.
Still, Giato couldn't stifle the image of the barrettes nestled in Mihail's soft, vivid hair.
He could buy them and hold on to them and give them to Mihail before they parted ways. After Mihail was able to stand on his own and wasn't dependent on Giato for anything.
Giato was walking toward the shop before he could reconsider. As he entered the shop, the tingle of a spell washed over him. Frowning, Giato glanced around. The interior of the shop was brightly lit, showing off several displays of jewels in various colors and arrangements. None of it was secured—which probably meant the spell was some sort of security spell. Stepping further into the shop, Giato smiled absently at the clerk, who was serving a young woman at the counter to the right.
He wandered through the shop, eyeing the various bits and bobs of jewelry, but nothing caught his eye as much as the display in the window had. There were several more hair accessories, but Giato thought the black would complement Mihail's hair the best.
"Good afternoon, sir," the clerk greeted, a pleasant smile on her face. "Is there something I can help you with? Did you want to try on any of our pieces?"
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